The National Allotment Society has crowned 14-year-old Finn Young as its new Youth Ambassador, following the launch of an inspiring competition celebrating the passion, knowledge and creativity of young growers across the UK.
The announcement comes during National Allotments Week (10-16 August), an annual initiative that raises awareness of allotments and their role in helping people live healthier lifestyles, grow food, develop friendships and strengthen communities.
Entrants aged 10–17 were invited to share their allotment stories and showcase how working in an allotment can shape skills, confidence and future ambitions.
Sponsored by King’s Seeds, the competition attracted a wide response from young people who shared their allotment journeys through videos, written pieces and personal stories. Judges praised the enthusiasm, gardening knowledge and first-hand experiences on display, with entries demonstrating how allotments can teach patience, teamwork, resilience, creativity and a lifelong appreciation of growing.
Finn was selected after impressing judges with his clear, confident and engaging entry, which showed both a love of growing and a thoughtful understanding of the seasons. Since taking on an allotment, Finn has grown fruit and vegetables from seed, nurturing seedlings on windowsills before planting them outside and enjoying the first harvests of the year.
On why he entered, Finn said:
Only a few days before the deadline, I was reading the latest Allotment and Leisure Gardener magazine, when I saw the competition. As I am keen on growing fruit and vegetables on our allotment, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to potentially inspire others to grow, and boost my confidence in the process.
“Mum and I filmed a short video, and then six weeks later we found out that I had won! It was a happy moment. Youth Allotment Ambassador is a wonderful way of sharing knowledge with others and highlights a sense of achievement in an activity that I love.
Second place was awarded to ten-year-old Bodie Cattermole, with Jaykob Pollitt and Jessie Johnson, both aged ten, named joint third-place winners. All three were recognised for their enthusiasm, confidence and commitment to allotment gardening, as well as their ability to encourage other young people to discover the joy of growing their own fruit, vegetables and flowers, and were each presented with £100 in gardening vouchers.
As Youth Ambassador, Finn will represent the National Allotment Society over the coming year, sharing updates from his growing journey through the Society’s magazine, website and social media channels, and helping to inspire the next generation of allotment gardeners. As winner, he also takes home £200 in garden gift vouchers and gardening goodies.
Sonia Gallagher, National Secretary and General Manager at the National Allotment Society, said:
We were delighted by the incredible response to our Youth Ambassador competition and would like to thank every young person who entered. The passion, enthusiasm and gardening knowledge on display made judging extremely difficult, and we were genuinely inspired by the amazing stories and experiences shared.
“Congratulations to Finn Young, who came across as approachable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We’re excited to welcome Finn as our new Youth Ambassador and look forward to seeing him share his passion and inspire other young people to get growing.
“We would also like to congratulate Bodie, Jaykob and Jessie on their fantastic achievements.
Last year’s Youth Ambassador, Tom Wells, has continued to show how allotment gardening can grow into a lifelong passion and a future career. The eighteen-year-old is completing his studies in agriculture and land management while gaining hands-on experience working on a farm.
The winners of NAS’ national quote competition, which gave growers the opportunity to share the valuable life lessons they have learned from their plots, have also been revealed. The winning quotes, selected via social media, were:
Charlotte:
My biggest learning from an allotment is that teaching my children to grow their own food today is planting seeds for a healthier tomorrow.
Sonya:
My biggest learning from an allotment so far is that people grow there too.
Both winners and two runners up, Matthew and Joanne, will each receive £50 in garden gift vouchers.